Main Street update: Hard closures still three weeks off

The Main Street reconstruction and water and sewer project continues.Patti Carpenter

The anticipated block-by-block “hard closures” on Main Street in Lovell are still about three weeks away, officials of the Lovell Main Street reconstruction and water and sewer project said at the weekly progress meeting Tuesday.

“We’re looking at mid-June for hard closures,” said Wyoming Dept. of Transportation Public Relations Specialist Cody Beers following the meeting.

Work is wrapping up on the west end of Main, with traffic switching to the south lanes in recent days and work to replace curb and gutter removed as part of widening the westbound lanes commencing this week. Final concrete work in the westbound lanes will also be done.

The west end work will wrap up in “1½ to two weeks, depending on the concrete,” Beers said.

Water and sewer work is also continuing on the east end of Main and will soon reach the intersection of Pennsylvania and Main. Once work at that intersection is completed, the block-by-block, leap-frogging phase II of the project will begin. The Pennsylvania intersection will be needed to divert traffic one block to the north.

Beers noted that Kim Wilson of Wilson Brothers Construction complimented the Lovell Police Department for help with slowing drivers in the construction zones. He said the LPD will deploy its speed trailer on the east end of the project to remind drivers of the 20 mph speed limit in the work zone.

Cones moved

Beers said construction officials are concerned about an incident over the weekend during which traffic control cones were moved to direct traffic to a side street.

“If people are caught it would be a $750 fine and a heavy-duty liability for messing with traffic control if a crash occurs,” Beers said. “The cones are maintained 24/7 and we’re getting increased help from the Lovell Police Dept. to keep an eye on it.”

Beers also noted that, starting this weekend, Wilson Brothers will begin working every other weekend.